Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-08
FRANCE AND GERMANY.
A Trip s'on the Edge Of the Kniae.''
rom TER srAs's London Correspondent.
LONDON, March %.


Most modern fortified towns are alike, and the
description of one OF them will, therefore, serve
lor all the Others on the Franco-German frontier.
Inc hrst that reached from Paris was verdun,
the northernmost fortified place OF the nrst line
OF french defense. IL was fortified originally
oy Sauban, and the modern defenses have prac-
ucally consisted in strengthening his lines and
IN adding detached forts upon the hills a few
miles away from the town, these latter being,
In fact, the chief modern innovation In
the matter OF fortncationa verdun itself is an
interesting little town, with old French archi-
lecture, curously resembling Italy, too, In many
respects, with a river a hundred yards wide run
ming round two sides OF it, and q deep moat con-
structed out or the river encircling Il on the
other two On the river side there are no earth
works. that part being considered sufficiently de-
Tended by the river and couple OF forts in the
distance; but inside the moat, which forms the
greater part OF the circumference Of the two
there are powerful defenseS consisting Of
strong masonry below earthworkS Above
the first line OF earthworks is simply a series
OF grass-covered banks arranged OF course,
that every point In them can be covered by the
machine gun directed from some other point close
by. Within this there Is a second and much
stronger line OF earthworks, behind which are
mounted the heavy guns and which conceal the
oomu-proois Tor magazines and stores. OF the
guns themselves one sees absolutely nothing, all
OF them being mounted on the disappearing sys-
tciils them ND 10 the emOr4Sure
at the moment OF firing. The machine guns in the
smaller openings are, however, in position, and
the 1ascines that is the broad punches OF wicker
WORK employed To I'LL up the gaps and screen the
gunners from rifle bullets, were brandt new, and
had evidently been placed there within a week or
two: Outside the town beyond the moat there is
anotner line or earthworkS, one OF the principles
OF modern defense being that force about To be
beleaguered in a town should man9uvre TO the
last 4, moment outside the walls And ON the main
roads leading towards Verdun from several d.
rections al some miles distant from the town. one
comes every now and then upon earthwork or
series OF Carefully constructed rife pits
THE TOWN OF vERDUN
aScends rapidly from the edge OF the river to a
broad plateau which commands the whole of the
surrounding country, and from which a rough out
line OF the forts surrounding the town can be seen
In the far distance. On the plain below huge
caSernS have just been built, but were not yet
ready for occupation. They more than double the
military accommodation OF the place. Signs II
military activity were, OF course, universal Each
OF the gates OF the town has. OF course a sentry
and post OF soldiers beside it, Every entrance TO
the interior or the eartnwOrks is most carefully
guarded ut distance OF several hundred yards.
Every third person one meets in the streets wears
uniform, and walk out OF the town for twenty
minutes in any direction brings one upon com
papy OF recruits drilling practising various field
| manduvres or conducting common Sappers' opera
IONS. There Is also a huge champ De iaaadurres
extending for twenty or thirty acres, I'm which the
Whole day long ladrons of cavalry practis-
Ing their eyolutions
One is rather curious TO know exactly what the
frontier Il like, whether IL corresponds with a
natural boundary, whether there is an artificial
| line of any kind, whether or demarcati0n or de-
I, tense, and In what manner it is guarded. AT
the French custom-hvuse were told that the
| frontier was five miles away. The road which,
like all French national roads. Is lined on each
side with tall poplars straight along between
poughed fields and through Wonderfully fertile
ard pleasant country. suddenly notice 10y The
| ROADSIDE thing like BARRIERS pole painted In
black, white and red. Opposite it. OH the oti.er
side Is sort OF iron nnger-post with the single
word 'Frontierc" in big letters AT the foot of the
BARRIERS pole Is IA milestone with the word "Iot IL
| ringen." On one side, in French. are the name
| ana number OF the road AMI the distance to the
village through which We have just passed. On
| the other, in German, is the number OF the
! hreis, or circle OF roads, to which this one be-
longs, and the distance 10 Metz. With that truly
transatlantic preference for having his feet any
| where but on the Moor, lay companion. when |
caught him up, is seated on the top OF the stone,
as he remarks la Two countries, with oae foot Ia
France and the other in Germany. There is abso-
lutely no line OF demarcatOl, natural or ARTIFICIAL
| the country running through p!oughed Ieid on
| one side and a meadow on the other. There is no
defense, and there does not appear TO DE uniform
| within ) miles. tried to ind out what effect the
presence OF the frontier had upon the market
| value OF land Whereabouts, but was unable 10 do
SO. Another days ride, OF which shall speak
| at another time, brought us into Metz.
| THE DULL TOWN OF METZ.
Metz is decidedly one Oh the dullest towns ever
was in 1t is closely surrounded, OF course, by is
Notifications, and has the air OF being squeezed
| ey,r OF public nature; the streets are always
crowded with soldiers, and at every few steps one
| runs up against one OF these fattening himself
against wall or jumping OF into the gutter, In
German soldier Is compelled each time an officer
| or his own regiment comes along. In the shops
one never knows whether To speak French or Ger
| man, and every bargain Is followed by prolonged
studies the part OF the SHOP keeper ia '.ready-
reckOner" TO translate francs and centines inio
! marks and pfannings, or vice versa (After 4
4 lalF m M, y, in n
| man in StraSbOurg.) The fortincatiouS OF Metz
are a curious mixture of old and new. II Is more
OF an ''entrenched cainp' than a mere ..piace
forte" but triple circle OF eaIthwOrks surrounds
it, and the innermost is built into
| the remains in perfect preservation OF old ma
sonry defenSes, towers, baStions, gateways look
ouIS which have quite a medis.yaI appearanc
They are, however, 50 entrenched In eathwOrks
that they might all be Knocked To pieces without
leaving a breech anywhere in the circle over
one gateway there Is an old inscription which
states that once upon time Metz, ''Inenacee par
lennemi, fut sauyee par Ilebette, Boulanger."
The French inhabitants point significantly To this
Ieat 10y one '.Boulanger," anu talk below their
breath OF another. On the day OF my arrival
curiouSly enough, some excitement had been
caused by the seizure OF several Thousand cheap
clay pipes bearing the head OF Gen. Boulanger
They had been manufactured on the spot by
German pipe-maker, but what became oil the poor
man l dad not learn. No doubt he is still in
prison.
pearing. Thousands of families have eInigrated
Since the war, and 20 a slight extent new German
families have taken their places. But French
nan always speaks OF Metz with the deepest de-
preston. About StraSbourg he is fairly indif-
Ierent, but that Metz, the impregnabe fortress,
the great rallying- ground OF The French armies
when their faces are turned towards the Rhine,
should have been taken from them, and taken, as
every Frenchman is absolutely convinced only
because OF mixture OF cowardice and treachery-
that is more than they can bear to speak OF. One
word only they have for BaZaine-''cochOn.n |
was seated one night In Nerdun at a table dhote
with score OF commercial travellers. They We're
full OF Interesting Information Ia French 'drum-
mer" never talks .'ShOpD, and one OF them Was
giving me, from his Very extensive experience, a
list OF hotels in different towns. "Et Metz"
asked, as he finished without mentioning that
town. For a moment he seemed hurt or Offended,
then, rejecting probably that 1 was a foreigner
VINO knew no better than 10 ask such u question,
jamaiS. Ca lne fait trop NAL an c9ur." And our
conversation came TO full stop.
THE WAR SCARE ON THE FRONTIER
1t was III Metz that came upon the chief traces
of the war scare. A week before my arrival every
body had been fully convinced that war was q
question OF days. ii not OF hours, and there was
not a man OF the 2s,OOO in garrison there who
had not made his personal preparations for active
service. The officers had gone so FAR as TO pack
up the more valuable OF their private effects and
despatch them 10 their homes Ia the country, and
the richer Inhabitants had taken measures TO put
their jewels and plate out OF reach OF enemy or
mob. The rumOr had been circulated that all
persons who had not laid in stock OF non-
perishable provisions sufficient to last two
years would be conducted out OF the town on
the outbreak OF hostiiiteS, and the proprietor or